| The following examines the effects of computer simulation and slow motion replay of two pendulum problems on personal theory revision across two time points. Participants were 140 adolescents (M = 12.36, SD = .52). The 2 (problem type: belief-consistent vs. belief-inconsistent) X 2 (observation clarity: real time vs. slow motion) X 2 (interaction environment: physical vs. computer simulated) experiment revealed interaction environment and observation clarity did not affect conclusion accuracy or generalization scores at either time point. Instead, problem type, time, and the participants' experimentation adequacy predicted conceptual knowledge acquisition. Participants were less likely to control variables during computer simulations than during physical experiments and more likely to conduct additional trials for belief-inconsistent than for belief-consistent problems. At Time 2, generalization scores declined as a function of problem type and experimentation adequacy, with lowest scores occurring for inadequate experiments for both belief-consistent and belief-inconsistent problems. Implications and future directions are discussed. |
